Thursday Morning Coffee Break

This morning, how about a Mint Momma from Big Momma's Coffee and Espresso Bar in Springfield, MO?  Two shots of espresso, steamed milk, dark chocolate and frosted mint syrup.  Enjoy!

This week we started a new series this week called All In, based on a book by the same name, written by Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor at National Community Church in Washington, DC. The Gospel costs nothing. You can’t earn it or buy it. It can only be received as a free gift compliments of God’s grace. It doesn’t cost anything, but it demands everything. It demands that we go “All In,” a term that simply means placing all that you have into God’s hands. Pushing it All In. No one has ever sacrificed anything for God. If you always get back more than you gave up, have you sacrificed anything at all? The eternal reward always outweighs the temporal sacrifice. At the end of the day, our greatest regret will be whatever we didn’t give back to God. What we didn’t push back across the table to Him. Eternity will reveal that holding out is losing out. The message of All In is simple: if Jesus is not Lord of all then Jesus is not Lord at all. It’s all or nothing.
 
This Week - Now or Never: Pack Your Coffin
A century ago, a band of brave souls became known as one-way missionaries.  They purchased single tickets to the mission field without the return half.  And instead of suitcases, they packed their few earthly belongings into coffins.  As they sailed out of port, they waved good-bye to everyone they loved, everything they knew.  They knew they'd never return home.  They went All In and all out for the All In All.
 
Here are a few key points:

• Sinfulness is selfishness.  It's putting your desires, your needs, your plans above all else.  You may still seek God, but you don't seek Him first.
• You are only one decision away from a totally different life.  It will probably be the toughest decision, but if you have the courage to completely surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, there is no telling what God will do.
• The complete surrender of your life to the cause of Christ isn't radical.  It's normal.

Parent-Teen Connect
Take turns answering and discussing the following questions with your teens this week.  Create meaningful conversation.  Adjust questions as needed.  Use one or two of these to begin a conversation.  Look for teachable moments - at home, in the car, wherever.  Pray and ask God to provide you opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your teens. 

1. If you packed everything you needed to follow Jesus for the rest of your life into a wooden coffin, what would you take with you?
2. Who's following who?  Are you following Jesus, or have you just invited Jesus to follow you?
3. Pray this prayer together.  "Lord, what do You want me to do with my life?"
4. Read Joshua 3:5 together.  Consecration means to be set apart.  It demands full devotion.  It's dethroning yourself and enthroning Jesus Christ.  It's giving all of you to all of Him.  What does consecration look like in your life?
5. What is one step you need to take in the coming days to consecrate yourself to and for God?